March 2, 2008
Box Score
ROCK HILL, S.C. -
Catcher Tim Federowicz belted a key solo home run in the eighth inning, and four pitchers combined on a four-hitter to give No. 2 North Carolina a 4-2 win over St. John's Sunday in the championship game of the Coca-Cola Classic at The Winthrop Ballpark. Second baseman Kyle Seager had his fourth straight two-hit game and led the Tar Heels (7-1) with 10 RBI on the weekend.
Federowicz and Seager each went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and first baseman Dustin Ackley scored two runs, drove in one and hit safely for the 12th straight game in the victory.
UNC reliever Nate Striz (1-0) tossed three scoreless innings to pick up his first career victory. The Lakeland, Fla., freshman came on in a jam in the fifth, gave up just one hit and struck out two. Senior reliever Rob Wooten held the Red Storm (6-2) scoreless over the final two innings to earn his second save. In his first career start, UNC righty Garrett Davis went 3 2/3 shutout innings, struck out four and allowed four hits and two walks.
St. John's starter Ryan Cole (1-1) went three innings and allowed three runs on four hits and a walk. Reliever Matt Tosoni gave up one run on three hits over five innings.
Just like they did in Saturday's win, the Tar Heels scored twice in the first inning to grab an early lead. Right fielder Tim Fedroff led off the bottom of the first with a triple off the wall in right center and scored when Ackley reached on a two-base fielding error by St. John's first baseman Gil Zayas. A hit batter and an infield single by Seager loaded the bases, and Flack drove in the second run with a sacrifice fly to deep center field.
Seager's 10th RBI of the weekend boosted Carolina's lead to 3-0 in the third. Ackley led off the inning with an infield single and took third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run with Federowicz, who singled through the left side. Seager then lofted a fly ball to center to drive in Ackley and give the Tar Heels the three-run cushion.
The Red Storm got on the board and trimmed the lead to 3-2 on a single by Michael Aicardi in the fifth. Reliever Ryan Leach hit the leadoff batter and issued a walk before Aicardi came through with a two-run single to left off Striz.
St. John's put the first two batters on in the eighth before Wooten buckled down to work out of the jam. He struck out shortstop Jeff Grantham and then induced a pop-up to first and a groundout to short to end the threat and preserve the one-run cushion.
In the bottom of the inning Federowicz provided some insurance for the Tar Heels with a one-out solo home run to left, his second of the season and the first run allowed by Tosoni in 13 1/3 innings on the season.
The two-run cushion would be more than enough for Wooten, who set down the Red Storm in order in the ninth.
Carolina is back in action Tuesday against William & Mary at 3:30 p.m. at Cary's USA Baseball National Training Complex.
